Product Design Process Research Articles

The Role Of Concurrent Engineering Technology And Green Target Costing In Achieving Sustainable Competitive Advantage

The research aims to integrate the two technologies of simultaneous engineering and the green target cost in providing an environmentally friendly product, because these two technologies are among the most important techniques that have emerged as a result of work strategies that change rapidly with market requirements and the essence of the modern production process, through the manufacture of products that meet the desires of customers in the shortest possible time and less cost. To achieve this goal, the General Company for Southern Cement was chosen as a research community and through one of its laboratories, represented by (Babylon Factory). The research reached several conclusions represented in the shift from the development of sequential products to the development of simultaneous products, which enables them to respond quickly by reducing the time required for products to enter the market and adapt to changing work environments, and following the techniques of simultaneous engineering and green target cost in product development is a shortcut The product design and development process. The most important recommendations are the need to direct modern technologies to serve the environment in view of the trend of global interest in the environment due to environmental pollution and the scarcity of natural resources, especially scarce ones.

Integrated Design Thinking to Improve Pedagogical Practices in Creative Engineering Design

Repeated testing, revision, and verification make products have market value and the commercialization of creative ideas reflected in the product. In the model, product and industrial designs present actual cases so that students are trained from scratch to clarify problems, identify needs, establish functional structures, and evaluate the creative design and engineering design. A good design plan includes market and user demand analysis, creative thinking, concept formation, and actual prototype making. Thus, students need to learn how to simulate the actual product design and development process through design protection and complete design planning. Therefore, taking creative engineering design courses as an example, this study aims to introduce various design methods into interactive teaching by using the problem/project-based learning (PBL) and science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) model. In industry, the methods are expected to simulate how a product design engineer faces the market and consumers. The results reveal the following. Students prefer to focus on hands-on practice and ask for examples and supplementary reference materials and a diversified interactive learning model. They like to work in groups and interact with peers and teachers to learn in real-time, hoping to know their levels and thoughts. They hope to apply what they learn for future career development. The education model integrates academic theory and industrial practice to reduce the gap between learning and practice in the industry.

Stress Analysis of the Cylinder Block in an Axial Piston Pump

For axial piston units, product optimisation plays an essential role in the development phase, where an efficient and price-attractive product design and manufacturing process is the key to the success of a product. Moreover, the market needs are on lighter, more compact, efficient, and reliable products designed to the limit. Therefore, reliability is the focus of this work, where the research includes method analysis of the material stress calculation applied to the cylinder block implemented in an axial piston pump. A simplified calculation model is presented and evaluated concerning load while remaining accessible for users without deep technical knowledge or access to expensive Finite Element (FE) simulation tools. The analytical calculation method delivers a stress distribution intended for different purposes like design evaluation or as load spectrum for lifetime calculation. Additionally, the developed calculation method is generalised, enabling the methodology to be used on any standard axial piston pump. The methodology utilises the stress determination model, which includes the load as a sum of forces caused by the external and internal influencing factors. To show the method’s success, a comparison demonstrates strong positive agreement between the calculated and simulated stress results obtained by Finite Element Analysis.

Evaluation Model of Product Shape Design Scheme Based on Fuzzy Genetic Algorithm Mining Spatial Association Rules

Put forward a kind of association rules mining method based on fuzzy genetic algorithm, this approach by building a mining model, the association rules and fuzzy genetic algorithm fuses in together, and then given to the fitness function of the mining space, and uses threshold to limit the fuzzy genetic algorithm will cross distribution and compile the fitness function, the improved method excavation stability is strong, the mining accuracy is high. The clustering analysis method of multidimensional fuzzy genetic algorithm mapping association network is studied, and the multidimensional module layout target is analyzed by using fuzzy hierarchical analysis technology and improved genetic algorithm combined with the clustering target of each angle, and the module division of each angle is realized. The main structure of the product is constructed with process model as the integration framework, style as the organization form, and feature list as the expression mechanism. The product characteristics based on fuzzy genetic algorithm are studied, the main structure configuration design process model mapping relation analysis, combined with the main structure of the joint model, together to achieve the fuzzy genetic algorithm (GA) variant design of fine-grained axiomatic mode, based on the associated network building and integration of new product design process, product structure of multidimensional optimization problem is solved.

Correct water content measuring of lithium-ion battery components and the impact of calendering via Karl-Fischer titration

In the past years the research and development in lithium-ion batteries has continuously grown in various fields. The possible negative effect of moisture content has been investigated and it is given a key importance for a high quality product. This research requires the reliable detection of the water content. A commonly used method is the indirect coulometric Karl Fischer Titration (icKFT). The correct usage of the icKFT in lithium-ion battery technology is urgent to detect correct measurement results. This article describes parameter settings, handling issues and possible mistakes, which need to be understood while using the icKFT. The disclosure of fundamental information about the measurement process like stop criterion, shell temperature, environmental conditions or others mentioned in the article need to be provided to compare and evaluate measurement results of icKFT. As a practical application the effect of coating compaction due to calendering on the moisture content of anode and cathode material is investigated. It could be shown that the calendering process directly influences the detected water content of the electrodes. The results can be helpful for a better understanding of possible sources of water contamination and process design for electrode production.

Codesigning a ballistic body armour with an industry partner and local police officers: focused on improving ergonomic fit and comfort

ABSTRACT We aimed to identify fit and comfort issues associated with the case company’s body armour and suggest recommendations to mitigate the issues, guided by the integrated three-stage process model for codesign. Thirteen collaborators participated in the codesign practice, including eight company employees (ICs) and five local police officers (ECs). This study adopted one-on-one interviews, focus groups, 3D body scanning and occupational task assessment. In Stage 1, we identified the problems with the existing body armour and areas of improvement based on the inputs from the ICs and ECs. The design solutions for the defined needs were sought in Stage 2. In Stage 3, the final outcomes were validated and approved by the collaborators. The results from this study provided the case company practical guidance to improve the body armour design, and further offer a new means of involving diverse stakeholders’ voices and perspectives in the product design and development process.

Modelling the transport mechanism of organic molecules into cell membranes: The role of organic solvents

Substrate availability is a key issue in the process design for chemicals production through enzymatic reactions. In whole cell bioconversions, the introduction of an organic solvent provides an efficient and flexible way to control substrate availability. Although successful, this route has often been based on trial and error experiments, and very little is known about the role of the solvent in the whole process. Modeling the transport mechanism of substrate molecules into cell membranes and the solvent-membrane interaction represents a first step toward a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying bioconversion efficiency. Hereafter, we report and discuss the results of such a modeling activity, which we carried out by means of molecular dynamics simulations. To better approach real-world experimental settings, we explicitly accounted for the possibility of solvent stirring. Our results are in agreement with the experimental data, paving the way to the application of molecular modeling in this recent and fast growing area of organic syntheses.

Sustainable design and development of commercial system cleanser unit for trimmers

A product design and development process has been adopted to study and improve the sustainability of trimmer System Cleanser. A hair trimmer with liquid detergent in cartridge is fixed as a cleaner system to design and analyse. The 3D model of the system is designed with NX CAD software. The modification is cartridge unit is made on counter face to increase the turbulence of the fluid in the wash zone. The file has been extracted and imported in LS Dyna for meshing the model for detergent liquid flow analysis. The velocity vector and pressure magnitude of the fluid flow is analysed through a StarCCM + higher fluid analysis software. The input process condition of the pump in cartridge assemble unit has a speed 2000 rpm and velocity of the liquid as 1 m/s. From the analysis, the suction pressure noticed at the pump zone is 950 Pa and the discharge of fluid in the pump is 850–900 Pa at wash zone. Difference in fluid velocity found decreased and it is in the range of 0.8 to 0.95 m/s. The predominant factor in the design is alternate openings in case baffle has increased the turbulence in pressure and the velocity of the fluid found same.

Engineering a heterologously expressed fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus oryzae N74 in Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris) for kestose production

Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are one of the most well-studied and commercialized prebiotics. FOS can be obtained either by controlled hydrolysis of inulin or by sucrose transfructosylation. FOS produced from sucrose are typically classified as short-chain FOS (scFOS), of which the best known are 1-kestotriose (GF2), 1,1-kestotetraose (GF3), and 1,1,1-kestopentaose (GF4), produced by fructosyltransferases (FTases) or β-fructofuranosidases. In previous work, FOS production was studied using the Aspergillus oryzae N74 strain, its ftase gene was heterologously expressed in Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris), and the enzyme’s tertiary structure modeled. More recently, residues that may be involved in protein–substrate interactions were predicted. In this study, the aim was to experimentally validate previous in silico results by independently producing recombinant wild-type A. oryzae N74 FTase and three single-point mutations in Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris). The R163A mutation virtually abolished the transfructosylating activity, indicating a requirement for the positively charged arginine residue in the catalytic domain D. In contrast, transfructosylating activity was improved by introducing the mutations V242E or F254H, with V242E resulting in higher production of GF2 without affecting that of GF3. Interestingly, initial sucrose concentration, reaction temperature and the presence of metal cofactors did not affect the enhanced activity of mutant V242E. Overall, these results shed light on the mechanism of transfructosylation of the FTase from A. oryzae and expand considerations regarding the design of biotechnological processes for specific FOS production.

Research on Toy Design for Special Children Based on Sensory Integration Training, D-S Theory, and Extenics: Taking Physical Toys for ADHD Children as an Example

Based on sensory integration training, D-S theory and extenics, this paper discusses the innovation and development of ADHD children’s toys, so as to make the design scheme more real, scientific, and comprehensive and meet the internal needs of users. Considering the advantages of extenics and the D-S theory in dealing with uncertain and incompatible decision-making problems, an evaluation method of toy design scheme for special children based on extension analysis and the D-S theory is proposed. Through the combination of the D-S theory and extenics evaluation method and sensory integration training theory, the designed toy scheme has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on the rehabilitation of ADHD children. Through the design case of physical fitness for ADHD children, it is proved that the combination of the D-S theory and extenics based on the sensory integration training theory has a certain reference value for the generation of product scheme and makes the product design process more comprehensive and objective.

Multi-Indicators Decision for Product Design Solutions: A TOPSIS-MOGA Integrated Model

Design decisions occur in all phases of product design and largely affect the merits of the final solution, which will ultimately determine the success or failure of the product in the market. Product design is a continuous process, and a large number of existing studies have proposed decision methods and decision indicators for the characteristics of different stages of design. These methods and indicators can meet the requirements of one of the phases: demand analysis, conceptual design, or detailed design. However, further research can still be conducted on the integration of methods throughout the design phase, using intelligent design methods, and improving the design continuity and efficiency. To address this problem, a TOPSIS-MOGA-based multi-indicators decision model for product design solutions is proposed, including its product design process, decision algorithm, and selection method. First, a TOPSIS-MOGA integrated model for conceptual design and detailed design process is established, the continuity of decision-making methods is achieved by integrating decision indicators. Second, conceptual design solutions are selected through the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), based on hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets and entropy weight method. Finally, detailed design solutions are selected through a multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA), based on a polynomial-based response surface model and central combination experimental design method. A case study of the decision-making in the design of high-voltage electric power fittings is presented, the conceptual design phase and the detailed design phase are connected through the indicators, which demonstrates that the proposed approach is helpful in the decision-making of the product design solutions.

Who are the right users to be involved in the design process of health products

The misuse of medical products can cause harm to the health of patients and other users. Many international standards are practiced in the medical product development industry to ensure quality and safety, including guides and models with various ways to engage the user in the development process. There are methods that can be performed at any stage of development, which hampers the project-planning phase. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information that helps companies select the most appropriate users, according to a particular profile or attribute. In order to demystify how users can be involved in the development of the product for health and using case studies in the literature as a basis, this research aims to present the recurrent activities that users perform when involved in development of medical devices. The main contribution of this word is the model of user tasks crossed with users characteristics developed.

The space image research base on the construction method of surface texture of the cement tiles

This study proposes a construction method that can produce cement tiles with cracked textures to achieve a richer performance through the surface texture of cement materials. During production tests, a step-by-step experimental method was used to determine the control variables that imitate natural cracks. The investigation showed that simulations of stone cracks, patched earth cracks, and cracked ice were the natural textures most preferred by the public; therefore, the study to make samples by color, surface layer thickness, drying time, and pressure level method as the control variables. A total of 12 samples were manufactured, and then applied to the display scene in a simulated space. The experimental results show that, for interviewees with design backgrounds, their preference scores improve when the space image shows “fashionable” and “calm” attributes. In contrast, for interviewees without design backgrounds, their preference scores improve when the space image shows “simple,” “non-oppressive,” and “hard” attributes. Using the quantification method of the first type, the results show the sample most preferred by the interviewees was the sample manufactured with the following method: pouring 30 g white cement mortar into the mold, letting it dry for an hour, and then filling the mold with gray-black cement mortar and pressuring it with the gentle slope of the pressure level setting. The preference of interviewees without design backgrounds or familiarity with the manufacturing process of cement tiles with cracked textures is affected by the color of cement tiles, and the preference of interviewees with design backgrounds and familiarity with the manufacturing process of cement tiles with cracked textures is affected by the pressure application method. It is hoped that the results of this study can provide a reference for the design and manufacturing process of cement mortar products, and further help the development of modularized cement mortar building materials.

Toward an optimized design of the LNG production process: Measurement and modeling of the solubility limits of p-xylene in methane and methane + ethane mixtures at low temperature

Accurate knowledge of the solubility limits of impurities in LNG allows an optimized design of the purification units installed upstream of the liquefaction train and the prevention of solid formation in the main cryogenic heat exchanger that would reduce the performance of the heat exchanger, increase maintenance operations and cause potential safety problems. The solubility of p-xylene in methane and in methane + ethane (5 and 10% mole fraction of ethane) has been measured at p = 5 MPa from T = 183 down to T = 123 K. The experimental results have been obtained by a static-analytic method with analysis of the fluid phase samples by gas chromatography. Solubility of p-xylene in methane and methane + ethane mixtures has been measured for the first time in this temperature range. The obtained data have been modelled by the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) cubic Equations of State (EoS), tuning pure component parameters, alpha functions, and binary interaction parameters, considering thermodynamic constraints. A robust multi-phase flash algorithm was established for vapor-liquid-liquid-solid (VLLSE) equilibrium by applying phase stability analysis. The revamped thermodynamic methods and data allow accurate prediction of the multiple phase boundaries that can be present when cooling a typical natural gas mixture.

Performance enhancement of hydrogen liquefaction process via absorption refrigeration and organic Rankine cycle-assisted liquid air energy system

This study focuses on the design and analysis of a liquid hydrogen production process integrated with an absorption refrigeration system, a liquid air energy storage system, and an organic Rankine cycle for designing an energy-efficient integrated process. The absorption refrigeration system and liquid air energy storage system facilitate hydrogen pre-cooling, whereas the organic Rankine cycle helps to recover the waste heat generated after air combustion. An ammonia/water-based absorption refrigeration system accompanied by liquid air precools the hydrogen to −180 °C, and the vapor compression refrigeration system liquifies the hydrogen. In this study, an energy-efficient process integration scheme was designed to reduce the overall energy consumption and recover waste heat. The net specific energy consumption of the process was 6.71 kWh/kg. The design variables and composite curve analyses indicate that the most energy-intensive part of the process is the liquefaction section. Moreover, exergy analysis indicates that multi-stream heat exchangers primarily contribute towards exergy destruction. The exergy efficiency of the process was 35.7%. Environmental analysis shows that the refrigeration cycles mainly contribute towards carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, according to the economic analysis, compressors and multi-stream heat exchangers accounted for 88.5% of the total capital investment. Overall, these analyses report energy efficient integration and indicate the potential for further improvements, particularly in the refrigeration cycle. This study is expected to provide insights into the design of energy-efficient integrated hydrogen liquefaction processes that exploit the benefits of the absorption refrigeration system, liquid air energy storage system, and organic Rankine cycle.

A Novel Approach of Integrating Natural Language Processing Techniques with Fuzzy TOPSIS for Product Evaluation

Product designers need to fully understand consumers’ emotional preferences and responses for product forms to improve products. However, users and designers have different understandings and concepts in the product evaluation process, which will lead to cognitive asymmetry in the product design and evaluating process. This phenomenon prevents designers to grasp users’ needs, increasing the risk of product development failure. To this end, this paper proposes a product evaluation method that combines natural language processing techniques and fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making into a new integrated way to reduce the cognitive difference between users and designers, so as to solve the problem of cognitive asymmetry. This was done firstly by obtaining the review data of products from users on the Internet, based on a web crawler, and then constructing word vectors based on natural language processing techniques to realize the parametric expression of the Kansei image. Secondly, by using a statistical method to extract the product scheme that meets the preferences of users and designers, and then quantifying the relationship between the product form and Kansei image based on a grey relational analysis (GRA). Finally, by calculating the indicator weight based on the Entropy method and using the fuzzy TOPSIS method to explore the prioritization of the product design alternatives in view of the Kansei needs of users. Taking the smart capsule coffee machine as an example, the feasibility and effectiveness of this method are verified. In particular, the method proposed in this research can not only enable different cognitive subjects to achieve cognitive symmetry, but also filter out product forms that meet the cognitive needs of users. Moreover, this study provides a theoretical basis and practical significance for reducing the cognitive differences between cognitive subjects in the whole process of product design, and provides a systematic framework for the industry to effectively connect customer needs and product design decisions. At the same time, this study has introduced a new method for Kansei engineering.

Numerical prediction of dynamic fracture strength of edge-mounted non-symmetric tempered glass panels under steel ball drop impact

Despite the well-known effects of loading rate and specimen size on glass strength, the fracture criterion of products containing tempered glass panels (TGPs) has been established based on the static fracture strength (SFS) of a standard-sized TGP due to procedural difficulties in determining large scale dynamic fracture strength (DFS). This impractical fracture criterion that has universally been adopted in industrial fields results in a use of excessive safety factor in product design and development process. In this work, large scale DFS of full-edge mounted TGPs is numerically predicted using ball drop impact (BDI) simulation, which realize in-service dynamic loading conditions and constraints. The numerical prediction results were verified by a remarkable correlation with a deformation deviation of 1.0–5.0% and stress deviation within about 6.9% comparing to BDI fracture test results. It was found that the average DFS derived in the practical BDI condition was 2.0 times higher than the average SFS derived in standard flexural test condition. We believe this study contributes to setting more efficient fracture criterion when designing or developing products in which TGPs are mounted, with emphasizing difference in glass strength derived from the in-service conditions and the standard test conditions.

Estado del arte sobre la aplicación de la industria 4.0 en los sistemas de planificación y control de operaciones

The objective of this work is the proposal of a conceptual framework that allows characterizing the application of Industry 4.0 in the Planning and Control Operations Systems (PCOS), based on the literature review and the conceptual frameworks of the analyzed articles with a critical analysis of them. This study presents the technologies and functionalities of the Industry 4.0 in the PCOS activities, the strategic aspects of operations management, the sector and field of application, in addition, the future lines of research according to the gaps found in the literature review. As conclusions it is highlighted that in traditional manufacturing systems operations planning is performed for a predefined production system and process design, however, in a context of Industry 4.0 operations planning becomes dynamic, that i to say , it must adapt to unexpected events that vary over time, allowing to predict production problems for decision making in real time.

A Coupling Process of Distillation with Vapor Permeation and Adsorption for Production of Fuel Ethanol: A Comparative Analysis on Energy Consumption

To efficiently produce fuel ethanol from fermentation broth, the distillation column was coupled with vapor permeation (VP) of a NaA zeolite membrane instead of using the adsorption technique to remove solvent water. The comparative analysis indicated that the energy efficiency was consistently higher for distillation-VP coupling, using a single-column distillation and three-column distillation, respectively. The best performance was obtained for the VP membrane coupling with a three-column distillation technique, where only 2.7 tons of steam per ton of fuel ethanol were consumed to produce fuel ethanol using a 3.0 wt % ethanol broth. This saved 0.25 tons of steam per ton of fuel ethanol in comparison with the results for the coupling with adsorption technique. The effect of ethanol content in broth on the energy efficiency was also investigated, which indicated that the ethanol content was a decisive factor to determine the energy consumption in the coupling techniques. The operation pressures were crucial to balance the energy consumption between columns coupled with the VP membrane. It was found that the operation pressure of the low-pressure column was the decisive factor to the whole energy efficiency, while the pressure of the high-pressure column was preferably adjusted according to practical production due to fewer disturbances in the system. This work benefits the process design for production of fuel ethanol from fermentation broth.

Integrative technical, economic, and environmental sustainability analysis for the development process of biomass-derived 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

The utilization of biomass, a bountiful and renewable natural resource, has become increasingly important with respect to climate change and environmental regulation. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a particularly promising technology that is essential for polyethylene furanoate production, which can replace existing petroleum-derived terephthalic acid. This study presents a new process design for economic FDCA production from lignocellulosic biomass. The economics of the process are maximized by introducing an effective biomass fractionation method based on catalytic conversion and separation subsystems. Pinch analysis coupled with a heat pump was performed to minimize the utility consumption in the process, thereby reducing the heating requirement by 66.3%. Furthermore, the integrative economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of the process were systematically assessed via techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA). The TEA determined a minimum FDCA selling price of $1,520/ton that can increase to $5,203/ton given cost growth and performance at the pioneer plant. Moreover, sensitivity analysis identified the principal cost drivers of the process. LCA showed the environmental impact of each subsystem of the process and revealed that exchanging fossil-based electricity sources for renewable sources and technology can lead to a more environmentally friendly process. Integrative process design can provide comprehensive perspectives for decision-makers.